The present invention is directed to the fields of energy consumption and power optimization and management methods, software, computer-readable media, apparatuses, and systems, and related fields.
Energy consumption management is a growing field in which the energy consumption of electrical utility customers is controlled to avoid or minimize costs on an electrical bill, to protect the environment, and to improve distribution grid stability, power quality, and reliability. One means by which customers have managed energy consumption is a system of load controlling devices such as system controllers, generators, and energy storage devices connected to the electrical system at the customer site in order to manipulate the amount of energy consumption recorded by power meters of the utility provider. By doing so, the billed energy consumption of the site and peak demand charges can be dramatically reduced, resulting in significant savings to the consumer and ancillary benefits to the utility provider and the grid as a whole.
However, energy management system components are expensive investments for consumers, and their misuse can thwart any savings that could be otherwise attainable through proper use. As an illustration of this point, if an energy storage device is depleted by mitigating energy consumption during a period of inexpensive electricity prices, it may not be able to then be used to mitigate energy consumption during a period of expensive electricity prices. Furthermore, there are costs to the consumer associated with the price of energy during recharging of the energy storage device and wear and tear on the device due to these actions. Thus, there is a need for management devices and methods that control energy consumption at a site while taking anticipated costs properly into account, and a need for systems capable of more fully maximizing the efficient use of energy consumption management devices.